By Hannah Watts
Larry Dick, a member of both the Orange County Water District board and the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, speaks with Greening of the Great Lakes host, Kirk Heinze, about water allocation and usage efficiency in Southern California.
"Like the bald man with a full beard, water production in California is good, but we have a problem when it comes to distribution."
"The problem in California is that the majority of the people reside south of Santa Barbara, and the majority of the water falls north of Santa Barbara," Dick says. "Our job is to see what we can do about answering the thirst of the 19 million people in the metropolitan service area down south."
The Metropolitan Water District, with an annual budget of about $1.1 billion, is the largest drinking water agency in the country, serving people in six Southern California counties. Issues arise when projecting the sustainability of their water supply for upcoming years.
"We are getting water from three main sources--the state water project, the San Joaquin Delta and the Colorado River," he says. There are many demands on each of those sources, especially on the Colorado River, which "is the most litigious river in the U.S." in addition to being alarmingly over distributed.
Despite these challenges, the good news is that Southern California water usage has remained constant even as the population has increased by 3.3 million residents since 1995. Dick says that education has been the most important factor in water conservation advances.
"Through education we are able to be more effective in water use efficiency," he says. "A big part of it is just ordinary conservation. Turn the tap off while you're brushing your teeth; the simple things." Other water conservation strategies include low use irrigation systems, water brooms, and rebates to businesses that install and use high efficiency toilets, sinks and appliances that increase water use efficiency. "If the Metropolitan Water District sees a good water conservation project, we will help fund it."
Dick and his fellow board members are also huge proponents of water recycling programs.
"If we can recycle more water the demands for new water have been lessened. That conservation strategy has been huge, and we'll underwrite it at $250 per acre/ft because it relieves the pressure to go out and find new sources of water that cost $600 to $800 per acre/ft to find and develop."
In addition to major conservation efforts, Southern Californians are heavily invested in water infrastructure. According to Dick, these infrastructure programs, which have totaled over $15 billion, have been paid for by citizens themselves, not by the government.
Infrastructure improvements are made in an effort to prepare California for the best and worst case scenarios when it comes to water supply.
"The concept in investing in infrastructure is extremely important," Dick says. "When there's a lot of water coming your way, you want to be able to put it away in a reservoir. When the weather is dry like it is now, we try to engage in environmentally-friendly water efficiency programs."
Interestingly, the comparatively water-rich Northern California has done far less investing in water infrastructure which has hurt that part of the state, especially this year, he explains.
"They have been less prepared for the current draught than we are in the south. Here we have the driest year on record, we have a water shortage alert and yet we are not on allocation."
One prodigious project underway to alleviate water allocation problems is the Bay Delta Conservation Plan which will upgrade dikes and other infrastructure, some of which date back to the Gold Rush days. Over $200 million has already been invested in scientific study to ensure the environmental safety of the project.
The plan, which will eventually cost billions, has "co-equal goals: to ensure a stable means of bringing water from the north to the south and to do so in a way that is not just environmentally neutral, but is environmentally beneficial."
As for those in the Midwest who might be worried about water diversion from the Great Lakes to the Southwest, Dick admits that "we probably look at all that water with a bit of lust in our hearts," but he is very clear that Californians will continue to solve their water problems like they always have—without the help of a pipeline from Lake Michigan.
Please click here to hear Dick's conversation with Heinze.
Greening of the Great Lakes airs every Sunday evening at 7:00 on News/Talk 760 WJR. Please follow us on Twitter.